(A/N) Sharina, thank you much for reviewing. Same to you, Qenies9,
Metroid13, Fuzy Llama, and Anonymous. Hugs and a Happy New Year to everyone
past and present who reviews this. Now things are really going to start
heating up.
Follow the Star
Chapter 2: Tell No One
"Okay, girls really like jewelry. So let's start there." Marco said as we walked through the mall.
"And how, pray tell, Marco, do you know what girls like?" Tobias asked him jokingly.
"Well, aside from me, I make it my business to know what women want." Marco answered.
"We are in for a long afternoon." Prince Jake sighed.
I had asked Prince Jake, Marco, and Tobias to help me find the perfect gift for Stella. Now we were all at the mall. Prince Jake finally pulled us all into one of the stores.
"Jake, you actually think that we can afford anything in here?" Marco asked incredulously.
"We can if only one of us buys something. And Ax did ask us for help." Prince Jake whispered back to him.
"Well Ax, have a look around. See if you can find anything you think she might like." Tobias said.
For a long while after we hunted around the store. One of the others would occasionally pick up one of the pieces of jewelry but I rejected all of them. None of them seemed to fit Stella. They were either too gaudy or too little. The concept of jewelry puzzles me. Human females decorate themselves with metals and precious stones. Particularly around the neck, the wrists, and the fingers. Stella did not seem like the type for jewelry. But then again, what did I know about human girls?
"Ax, we've been looking for nearly an hour and a half. What exactly are you looking for?" Marco asked me impatiently.
"I don't know." I muttered as I continued to search. What was I looking for?
Suddenly something caught my eye. It was a necklace. It was a slender, silver chain attached to a round, silver pendent. The charm was only slightly larger than the currency called a quarter. Etched into the silver was a star. A five-pronged star. In the very center of the star rested a tiny white gemstone. A diamond. Upon closer examination I noticed a groove that ran all the way around the pendent.
"What type of necklace is this?" I asked breathlessly.
"It's a locket." Prince Jake explained. "You pop it open like this." With that he slid one of his fingernails into the groove, applied pressure, and the pendent opened to reveal a hidden compartment.
"You can put little pictures inside of it." Tobias added.
I didn't bother to ask why a person would want to do that. I had finally found the right gift.
"It's perfect." I whispered.
"What? That old thing? It isn't even worth half of some of the things in here." Marco said.
"I do not care. It is exactly what I am looking for. Exzzzz-act-li. Ac- tuh. Tuh-lee."
Marco looked ready to argue but Prince Jake and Tobias kept him silent as we paid for the necklace. It was the perfect thing. The necklace was simple, yet profound in some deep way. The way that it captured everything that Stella was. Simple and effective, yet beautiful in so many subtle ways.
After we had paid and were walking away from the store I suddenly heard a voice.
"Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you four coming out of a jewelry store."
I turned to see Eric the Chee coming towards us. The Chee are a race of androids built by a long extinct race called Pemalites. The Chee have remained hidden on Earth for thousands of years. This particular Chee was a spy. He played the role of a controller in The Sharing. He had given us much valuable information on the movements of the Yeerk invasion.
"Mind if we just walk along for a little bit? I want a word with you all." He inquired casually.
As we strolled through the mall Eric began to explain.
"Do you all remember that little trip that you took to Royan Island?"
"Yes. Lots of sharks over there." Prince Jake remarked.
"I've heard that there's some sort of construction project going on over there. They are rebuilding something over there."
"The base." Tobias whispered.
"But why? It was.......destroyed." Marco interjected hesitantly.
"We don't know. You'll have to check it out. Good luck." He said as he slipped away into the crowd.
"But why would they rebuild that base? It's not like they can make the sharks into controllers again. They can't use them to take the Leeran home world." Marco fumed as we left the building.
"Maybe not. But there must be something else that it can be used for." I thought out loud.
"Either way we'll have to check it out." Prince Jake said gravely.
* *
*
"Okay, so let me get this straight. The Yeerks are rebuilding this underwater base of theirs. But why? What else can they possibly use sharks for?" Rachel asked in a frustrated voice.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling that they're not after the sharks this time." I said as we walked along the beach, hidden by the tree line.
Ax, the other Animorphs, and I had been to this island once before. The Yeerks had built an underwater base just off the shores of the island. They were using it to make controllers out of the hammerhead sharks that lived in the area. The shark controllers would have been used to invade the home world of an alien species known as the Leerans. The Leerans are kind of like yellow frogs the size of a human. Only these frogs are psychic. The Yeerks would have succeeded if we hadn't destroyed the factory. The other Animorphs also learned what I already knew. That Marco's mother wasn't dead, but a controller. She was the infamous Visser One.
"What do you mean Stella? How can it not be about the sharks? What else are they going to use it for?" Marco asked me.
"Once again, I don't know, but something smells fishy to me. Why would they rebuild the base in the exact same spot? They know that we know. What exactly are they up to?" I wondered out loud.
"You know, you may be right. But we still have to look into it." Jake said as we all walked into the surf, careful to stay out of sight of the Royan mansion. There would no doubt be Controllers hiding out there.
{ Come on. Let's just get this over with. } Tobias said nervously from his perch on Rachel's shoulder. He has a bit of a problem with water.
"This could be a trap." Cassie said.
"True, but what else can we do?" Jake said as he started to morph.
With the doubt still lingering in my gut I began to morph the hammerhead shark. My skin became hard and gray. My arms fused with my body and two fins sprouted from my sides. My legs fused together and became a tail. I felt a long shark fin sprout from my back. I felt the itching in my gums as my weak human teeth were replaced with the powerful, killer shark teeth. My eyes slid outward as my head became the hammer of the shark's head. I fell forward into the water as the gills began to slit my vanishing neck. I thrashed about in the water, unable to breathe either air or water for a few moments. Finally the gills were fully formed and I swam gratefully through the water, taking it into my gills and sucking oxygen from it.
I had morphed the hammerhead before so the instincts were not as overpowering as before. Especially since there was no blood in the water this time. There was simply that ever-present hunger. No fear, no nothing. Just the need to seek out pray and eat.
{ Is everybody okay? } Jake asked.
One by one we answered his call.
{ Let's do it! }Rachel shouted enthusiastically as she sped off through the water.
We all knew where we were going. We headed for deeper waters, out to a seabed a quarter of a mile away and two hundred feet below the surface. Or at least that's what it looked like to any prying eyes. It was really a hologram. A hologram disguising a Yeerk facility of some kind. If Eric was correct in his information that is.
{ I don't like this. } I whispered fearfully to the others.
{ Why? What's wrong? } Rachel asked.
{ Don't you see it? There are no sharks around here. As far as I can tell there isn't even a living creature around here. It's too quiet. We have to go back! }
{ We don't know that there's anything wrong here. The only way to found out is to see if that thing down there is a hologram or not. } Jake said, trying to reassure me.
But I was still afraid. I hung back from the others. Something bad was about to happen. I don't know how I knew but I just did.
{ No. I'm not going down there! }
{ What's the matter? Are you afraid? } Rachel asked.
{ A little blunt there, Rachel. } Marco cut in snidely.
{ Yes, I am afraid. He's down there! He's down there waiting for us! It was too easy! It's all a trap! Please, don't make me go down there!! } I shrieked for the whole ocean to hear.
{ Stella, calm down. You know that we have to check this thing out. You don't have to come if you don't want to. } Jake said.
Somehow his words had a calming effect on me. I had let my emotions get the better of me. I was probably just being paranoid. This mission would probably be dangerous anyway.
{ No, it's all right. I think I'm okay. I'll go. }
As Jake led the way down to the seabed Ax spoke to me in private thought speech.
{ Stella, are you certain that you are all right? What happened? Why did you just lose control like that? }
{ I don't know. It just.........happened, I guess. Just this feeling that I had. } I said absent-mindedly.
{ If you are not emotionally stable, maybe you should not join us. You may break down again in the middle of a fight. } He said worriedly.
{ Ax, I'm fine. No need to freak out. Everything's good. } I said. I kept repeating it over and over to myself. Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine.
We finally reached the seabed.........and passed right through it. It was a hologram after all. I saw the familiar structure built into the slope. The three giant tunnels. Strangely enough all three of them were open this time. We swam through the center one just like before. When we reached the inner boat dock it was empty.
{ I think it's safe to say that they're not using this place to make shark controllers. But what are they going to use it for? } Cassie wondered.
{ I don't know, but whatever it's for we've got to get rid of it. Ax, do you think you could hack into the computer system again? } Jake asked.
{ Can I get into the system. } Ax snorted derisively. { No Yeerk computer can keep out an Andalite. }
{ Okay, same thing as last time. I think five minutes should cut it, Ax. You and Stella head for the computer. The rest of us will create a distraction. I think the two of you should go roach this time. They have decent sight. } Jake said as we all demorphed from sharks.
{ All right. } I said. When I was fully human again I immediately started to morph the roach. I was very tired from the stress and the morphing but I continued to morph anyway. My skin became the hard exoskeleton of the roach. My innards melted away to become the more primitive organs of a roach. I was shrinking rapidly. The extra legs burst forth from my chest. I wanted to barf as I watched it all happening but there was no time for that now. I wanted to get in, get out, and go home. The panic that had taken control of me earlier was still there, lingering in the back of my mind.
{ Ax, are you ready? } I asked when I was fully roach.
{ Yes. I am ready. Let's go. }
With that we took off on our roach wings. Heading for the main section of the facility.
{ Remember you two, five minutes. } Jake said as the others began to morph their battle animals.
For a while after that I didn't pay much attention to where I was going. I just followed the roach that flew in front of me. The roach's vision wasn't the best but it was enough. It wasn't until Ax was practically screaming at me that I noticed we had landed.
{ Stella, can't you hear me?! We have reached the main computer. I have already demorphed. What is taking you so long?! }
{ I'm sorry. Did you say something? }
{ Stella, what's wrong with you?! I have been standing here for a full ten minutes shouting at you! Why couldn't you hear me?! Something is obviously wrong with you. You shouldn't have come with us! }
{ No, really. I'm fine. I'm just.........distracted. } I said as I demorphed.
{ Please, don't try and hide anything from me Stella. If you are distracted then you won't be able to defend yourself if the need arises. What's wrong? } He asked. There was urgency in his voice, but I also heard tenderness. He was afraid for my safety.
"It's all right Ax. It's just this bad feeling that I have. I can't shake this feeling that there's something I've overlooked. That something bad is gonna happen any minute now. But don't let it bother you. You have to rig this computer thing."
I stood guard while Ax hacked into the system. All the while I grew ever more suspicious. I heard the sounds of battle coming from the main entryway.
"ROOOAAAARRRR!!!"
TSEEEW!
TSEEEW!
"HROOOAAAARRRR!!!"
That would be Rachel and Jake in morph. Dracon fire.
"Hurry up, Ax! It doesn't sound like they're doing to well out there!" I said urgently.
{ Done. } he reported after several tedious moments. { The force fields will fail in exactly five minutes and millions of your gallons of water will crush this fortress.........again. }
"Well let's hurry and get out there. I don't think the diversion is working too well. I'm just surprised we haven't been found yet."
Ax and I went tearing out of the office that held the computers. As we headed for the door that led to the main entryway I tried to decide which of my morphs would be best for this situation. But just as we reached the door and I reached out to pull it open, I heard Jake's voice in my head.
{ STELLA! AX! Can either of you hear me!? Listen up, morph something small! Get out of here! IT'S A TRAP! }
But it was too late. The door was already open. As Ax and I spilled out into the entryway I saw that all of the other Animorphs were being held down by a pack of Hork-Bajir controllers. All of them lay still.
{ AAAAAAAH! } I heard Ax scream as a new pack of Hork-Bajir came out of no where and pinned him to the floor.
"AX! NO!" I screamed. Just as suddenly someone else appeared in the room. Someone that I had been praying not to see ever since we had entered the water. Visser Three, not in a morph, but in his Andalite body.
{ So you did come after all. I've been expecting you. Especially you, Stella. }
I was vulnerable in my true human form. I slowly began to back away from him, my eyes wide with fear. How had I known it? How had I known that Visser Three would be here waiting for us?
As I backed away he walked towards me.
{ What's the matter Stella? You started this little game. Now you don't want to finish it?}
He was now right up against me. His face was up against my face. But even as he glared back into my eyes I felt the Hork-Bajir hands on my arms, dragging me to the ground.
"No!" I cried out helplessly as the four Hork-Bajir shoved me to the floor and rolled me onto my stomach.
I struggled but it was me against four Hork-Bajir. I managed to turn my head one final time. A human controller came to join the gaggle of Hork- Bajir. He held a hypodermic needle and syringe in his hand. Normally I'm not one to be afraid of getting shots at the doctor's office, but this wasn't exactly the same thing. For one, this particular needle was huge! No lie. And I had a bad feeling about the liquid that the syringe contained. One of the Hork-Bajir pressed my face back down to the floor. Without a moment's hesitation the controller plunged the needle into the back of my neck and emptied the syringe into my system.
"AAAAAAAHH!!" I shrieked in pain. I felt myself go numb for a moment as the liquid entered my body.
The human backed away and the four Hork-Bajir rolled me onto my back. I lay there for a minute, staring up at the ceiling, unable to move. Suddenly Visser Three was standing over me, gloating.
"What did you do to me?" I demanded feebly.
{ The substance that was just introduced into your system is a virus. A quantum virus to be more precise. I'm not certain if you know how it works but you will be dead within one week. }
"A little blunt there." I whispered through the lingering pain of the injection. I realized that for once in his life Visser Three was speaking in private thought speech. None of the others knew what was happening.
{ What were you expecting? You humiliated me Stella. Now you must pay. You will die a slow, painful death. This virus will disintegrate your body. It was designed to attack and kill within one week. Seven days, that is all you have left. }
"Hmm, have you ever seen The Ring, Visser Three?" I asked as my senses came back to me.
{ What? Stop mocking me, you stupid girl! What would you say if I told you that there is a cure for this particular virus? A cure that can be found right here on Earth. Because it is hidden in a wreck about twenty miles off of your cost. The wreckage of the Andalite dome ship in fact. Unfortunately we Yeerks have not yet figured out how to develop an incurable quantum virus. }
"Why did you just tell me that? Now I can go and get it any old time."
{ I wouldn't recommend that, Stella. If you go after that antidote, or if you tell any of your little Andalite friends about it, I shall activate the virus that now lies dormant in their bodies. And it will cause death in a matter of hours. You would never reach the antidote in time. Would you risk all of their lives? Especially the life of a certain.........love of yours. }
I stared up at him in utter horror. He knew. He knew of my love for Ax. How? But he was right. I couldn't risk Ax's life. Not if it was to save my own.
"Why are you doing this? Why do you give me this hope and then snatch it away?"
{ To die only a short flight away from the one thing that could have saved you. It is the worse possible punishment that I could think of for you. The virus will only be a threat to the Andalites while you still live. After a week goes by the virus will dissipate. And don't think that you can escape the virus by becoming a nothlit. The virus will simply adapt to your new body. Now I would suggest that you get out of here. This place will be underwater in two minutes. } he sneered as he began to morph.
I climbed shakily to my feet.
{ Stella, come on! We've got to get out of here! We're all at the boat dock waiting for you! } I heard Ax's thought speech in my head.
I ran down the hallway, heading for the dock. When I finally reached it the others were already in the water in shark morph. I leapt into the pool and began to morph. One minute.
When I had finished morphing we hauled butt for the tunnel that led into the open ocean. As we broke free from the base I heard the mechanical sound of submarines being launched. They were all cloaked, of coarse. I paid no attention to the base as it collapsed in on itself. I shivered inside. Whether it was from the sudden cold of the ocean or from the horrible death beginning inside of me I did not know.
{ Wooooah man, we sure showed those Yeerks! Not so easy to trap us! } Rachel shouted gleefully.
{ But why did they let us go at the last minute? } Cassie wondered.
{ They were probably too worried about saving their own skins. But of coarse, since they let us escape they won't live very long. They'll have Visser Three to answer to for our escape. } Jake said as we swam away.
I wished that I could tell them that we hadn't escaped. I hadn't escaped. The damage had been done. I couldn't escape my fate. Not now.
{ But what was the deal with the needles? That was creepy. } Marco asked.
{ Most likely it was some sort of tranquilizer to keep us submissive in order for them to kill us. } Ax explained.
How wrong he was.
{ We should be getting back. Before Cassie's parents find Gwyn in the barn. } I said. Gwyn was the only surviving member of my family. My little cousin. She was only a year old and could not come on our missions. We had given her the morphing power but she was still too young to use it. For now we hid her in Cassie's barn whenever the need arose.
No one argued. A winter storm was coming up and the waves were getting rough. We needed to get out of the ocean.
When we finally reached the shallower waters just off the shore we began to demorph. When I was fully human again my feet just barely touched the sandy bottom. I looked over beside me and saw Ax beginning to morph to human. A thought suddenly struck me, a fear.
"Ax, do you know how to swim in a human body?!" I shouted over the screaming winds of the oncoming storm. We had never had to worry about him being able to swim because we were always able to swim closer to the shore and demorph.
"What do you mea-" he didn't get a chance to finish his question. At that very moment another wave came in and swept Ax, Cassie, and I back out to see.
For a minute or two I was underwater, completely disoriented. I tried to suck in air but came up with water. I thrashed wildly, trying to get my bearings. Finally I noticed the direction my trail of bubbles was going in. I fought madly in that direction and I finally broke through to the surface. I gulped lung-fulls of air.
"AX! CASSIE!" I screamed through the mouthfuls of ocean water that I kept swallowing.
"STELLA!"
I turned around and saw Cassie swimming towards me.
"Where's Ax?! Did you see what happened to him?!" I shouted frantically.
"He went down! I saw him go under!" she shouted back.
"NO!!"
Without wasting another word I sucked in air and dove beneath the waves. I forced my eyes open, almost welcoming the pain of the salt water. I darted here and there searching for Ax. Finally I saw a human body sinking down to the bottom.
My lungs were already burning for air but I didn't care. I swam down further. My ears popped painfully from the pressure. Too deep! I wouldn't reach him in time! He was too far from the surface. My lungs were screaming for oxygen. My limbs were becoming sluggish. No! I had to keep going!
Finally my hands brushed against his chest. I pulled his face up to mine. Relief coursed through my body when I saw that a trail of bubbles was still drifting from his mouth. But he didn't move at all. The wave must have knocked the wind out of him.
I wrapped my arms around him and began to swim for the surface. But I didn't seem to be gaining any ground. The harder I kicked the farther away we seemed to be. How could I possibly bring both of us to the surface?
The pressure was beginning to lessen. My lungs were on fire. Ax felt like he weighed a thousand pounds. I couldn't go much further. I kicked desperately. How much further?
Suddenly, miraculously, I broke the surface. I brought Ax up with me, bringing his face up to the air. I gasped gratefully as I coughed up seawater and drew in oxygen. I saw Cassie kicking erratically to stay afloat.
"You found him!"
"Cassie, can you swim to shore without help? I have to take him."
"I'm all right. I can help you."
"Okay, then let's go."
Cassie swam over to me and slung one of Ax's limp arms around her shoulder.
"Ax, please don't be dead." I whispered under my breath.
Cassie and I struggled, inch by inch, to reach the shore. When we had reached the spot where we had first been swept out Ax began to revive.
"Stella, what happened?"
"We got taken out by the waves. We should probably teach you a little swimming technique." I said, trying to relieve the weight of the moment.
"I should morph. We will get there faster." He said weakly.
"No, just take it easy. We can do it."
Cassie and I finally got to the point where we could stand up. We dragged Ax gently to his feet. Jake, Marco, Rachel, and Tobias all came running and flying towards us. Or, well, Tobias was flying as well as he could through the rain.
"What happened to you guys?" Jake asked us.
"The tide got us. Ax got dragged down and we had to go after him." Cassie answered calmly.
Jake stepped forward and put his arm around Cassie's shoulders.
"Come on. We have the clothes. They didn't get taken this time." Jake said as he led Cassie away.
The others slowly followed them. Ax and I stayed behind for a few minutes. I needed to switch to my alter identity, Kim. As I started to morph Ax spoke to me.
"You saved my life, Stella."
"I'm a good swimmer." I answered coolly, not wanting to make a big deal out of it.
"Could you teach me to swim in this human body?"
"Maybe.........when the weather gets better. It-it couldn't be that hard for you to learn." I stuttered. I was fully into the Kim morph now.
I started to walk away but Ax pulled me back. He wrapped his arms around me and drew my face up to his own. I forgot everything, even the driving rain on my back, as Ax pressed his lips against mine. He pulled me tightly into his embrace and we clung to each other for what seemed like hours. I kissed him back, just as warmly, just as passionately.
"Um.....hey guys....you wanna get a move on. You know, before somebody finds us here." I heard Rachel suggest nervously.
"Oh.....um.....yeah, sure." I said sadly as I pulled away from Ax.
"Thank you, Stella." He said as he walked off to join the others.
As I stood there watching him walk away I felt a chill pass through my body again. The virus.
One week, seven days. Would I even live to see Christmas morning?
* *
*
Follow the Star
Chapter 2: Tell No One
"Okay, girls really like jewelry. So let's start there." Marco said as we walked through the mall.
"And how, pray tell, Marco, do you know what girls like?" Tobias asked him jokingly.
"Well, aside from me, I make it my business to know what women want." Marco answered.
"We are in for a long afternoon." Prince Jake sighed.
I had asked Prince Jake, Marco, and Tobias to help me find the perfect gift for Stella. Now we were all at the mall. Prince Jake finally pulled us all into one of the stores.
"Jake, you actually think that we can afford anything in here?" Marco asked incredulously.
"We can if only one of us buys something. And Ax did ask us for help." Prince Jake whispered back to him.
"Well Ax, have a look around. See if you can find anything you think she might like." Tobias said.
For a long while after we hunted around the store. One of the others would occasionally pick up one of the pieces of jewelry but I rejected all of them. None of them seemed to fit Stella. They were either too gaudy or too little. The concept of jewelry puzzles me. Human females decorate themselves with metals and precious stones. Particularly around the neck, the wrists, and the fingers. Stella did not seem like the type for jewelry. But then again, what did I know about human girls?
"Ax, we've been looking for nearly an hour and a half. What exactly are you looking for?" Marco asked me impatiently.
"I don't know." I muttered as I continued to search. What was I looking for?
Suddenly something caught my eye. It was a necklace. It was a slender, silver chain attached to a round, silver pendent. The charm was only slightly larger than the currency called a quarter. Etched into the silver was a star. A five-pronged star. In the very center of the star rested a tiny white gemstone. A diamond. Upon closer examination I noticed a groove that ran all the way around the pendent.
"What type of necklace is this?" I asked breathlessly.
"It's a locket." Prince Jake explained. "You pop it open like this." With that he slid one of his fingernails into the groove, applied pressure, and the pendent opened to reveal a hidden compartment.
"You can put little pictures inside of it." Tobias added.
I didn't bother to ask why a person would want to do that. I had finally found the right gift.
"It's perfect." I whispered.
"What? That old thing? It isn't even worth half of some of the things in here." Marco said.
"I do not care. It is exactly what I am looking for. Exzzzz-act-li. Ac- tuh. Tuh-lee."
Marco looked ready to argue but Prince Jake and Tobias kept him silent as we paid for the necklace. It was the perfect thing. The necklace was simple, yet profound in some deep way. The way that it captured everything that Stella was. Simple and effective, yet beautiful in so many subtle ways.
After we had paid and were walking away from the store I suddenly heard a voice.
"Well, well, well. Fancy seeing you four coming out of a jewelry store."
I turned to see Eric the Chee coming towards us. The Chee are a race of androids built by a long extinct race called Pemalites. The Chee have remained hidden on Earth for thousands of years. This particular Chee was a spy. He played the role of a controller in The Sharing. He had given us much valuable information on the movements of the Yeerk invasion.
"Mind if we just walk along for a little bit? I want a word with you all." He inquired casually.
As we strolled through the mall Eric began to explain.
"Do you all remember that little trip that you took to Royan Island?"
"Yes. Lots of sharks over there." Prince Jake remarked.
"I've heard that there's some sort of construction project going on over there. They are rebuilding something over there."
"The base." Tobias whispered.
"But why? It was.......destroyed." Marco interjected hesitantly.
"We don't know. You'll have to check it out. Good luck." He said as he slipped away into the crowd.
"But why would they rebuild that base? It's not like they can make the sharks into controllers again. They can't use them to take the Leeran home world." Marco fumed as we left the building.
"Maybe not. But there must be something else that it can be used for." I thought out loud.
"Either way we'll have to check it out." Prince Jake said gravely.
* *
*
"Okay, so let me get this straight. The Yeerks are rebuilding this underwater base of theirs. But why? What else can they possibly use sharks for?" Rachel asked in a frustrated voice.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling that they're not after the sharks this time." I said as we walked along the beach, hidden by the tree line.
Ax, the other Animorphs, and I had been to this island once before. The Yeerks had built an underwater base just off the shores of the island. They were using it to make controllers out of the hammerhead sharks that lived in the area. The shark controllers would have been used to invade the home world of an alien species known as the Leerans. The Leerans are kind of like yellow frogs the size of a human. Only these frogs are psychic. The Yeerks would have succeeded if we hadn't destroyed the factory. The other Animorphs also learned what I already knew. That Marco's mother wasn't dead, but a controller. She was the infamous Visser One.
"What do you mean Stella? How can it not be about the sharks? What else are they going to use it for?" Marco asked me.
"Once again, I don't know, but something smells fishy to me. Why would they rebuild the base in the exact same spot? They know that we know. What exactly are they up to?" I wondered out loud.
"You know, you may be right. But we still have to look into it." Jake said as we all walked into the surf, careful to stay out of sight of the Royan mansion. There would no doubt be Controllers hiding out there.
{ Come on. Let's just get this over with. } Tobias said nervously from his perch on Rachel's shoulder. He has a bit of a problem with water.
"This could be a trap." Cassie said.
"True, but what else can we do?" Jake said as he started to morph.
With the doubt still lingering in my gut I began to morph the hammerhead shark. My skin became hard and gray. My arms fused with my body and two fins sprouted from my sides. My legs fused together and became a tail. I felt a long shark fin sprout from my back. I felt the itching in my gums as my weak human teeth were replaced with the powerful, killer shark teeth. My eyes slid outward as my head became the hammer of the shark's head. I fell forward into the water as the gills began to slit my vanishing neck. I thrashed about in the water, unable to breathe either air or water for a few moments. Finally the gills were fully formed and I swam gratefully through the water, taking it into my gills and sucking oxygen from it.
I had morphed the hammerhead before so the instincts were not as overpowering as before. Especially since there was no blood in the water this time. There was simply that ever-present hunger. No fear, no nothing. Just the need to seek out pray and eat.
{ Is everybody okay? } Jake asked.
One by one we answered his call.
{ Let's do it! }Rachel shouted enthusiastically as she sped off through the water.
We all knew where we were going. We headed for deeper waters, out to a seabed a quarter of a mile away and two hundred feet below the surface. Or at least that's what it looked like to any prying eyes. It was really a hologram. A hologram disguising a Yeerk facility of some kind. If Eric was correct in his information that is.
{ I don't like this. } I whispered fearfully to the others.
{ Why? What's wrong? } Rachel asked.
{ Don't you see it? There are no sharks around here. As far as I can tell there isn't even a living creature around here. It's too quiet. We have to go back! }
{ We don't know that there's anything wrong here. The only way to found out is to see if that thing down there is a hologram or not. } Jake said, trying to reassure me.
But I was still afraid. I hung back from the others. Something bad was about to happen. I don't know how I knew but I just did.
{ No. I'm not going down there! }
{ What's the matter? Are you afraid? } Rachel asked.
{ A little blunt there, Rachel. } Marco cut in snidely.
{ Yes, I am afraid. He's down there! He's down there waiting for us! It was too easy! It's all a trap! Please, don't make me go down there!! } I shrieked for the whole ocean to hear.
{ Stella, calm down. You know that we have to check this thing out. You don't have to come if you don't want to. } Jake said.
Somehow his words had a calming effect on me. I had let my emotions get the better of me. I was probably just being paranoid. This mission would probably be dangerous anyway.
{ No, it's all right. I think I'm okay. I'll go. }
As Jake led the way down to the seabed Ax spoke to me in private thought speech.
{ Stella, are you certain that you are all right? What happened? Why did you just lose control like that? }
{ I don't know. It just.........happened, I guess. Just this feeling that I had. } I said absent-mindedly.
{ If you are not emotionally stable, maybe you should not join us. You may break down again in the middle of a fight. } He said worriedly.
{ Ax, I'm fine. No need to freak out. Everything's good. } I said. I kept repeating it over and over to myself. Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine.
We finally reached the seabed.........and passed right through it. It was a hologram after all. I saw the familiar structure built into the slope. The three giant tunnels. Strangely enough all three of them were open this time. We swam through the center one just like before. When we reached the inner boat dock it was empty.
{ I think it's safe to say that they're not using this place to make shark controllers. But what are they going to use it for? } Cassie wondered.
{ I don't know, but whatever it's for we've got to get rid of it. Ax, do you think you could hack into the computer system again? } Jake asked.
{ Can I get into the system. } Ax snorted derisively. { No Yeerk computer can keep out an Andalite. }
{ Okay, same thing as last time. I think five minutes should cut it, Ax. You and Stella head for the computer. The rest of us will create a distraction. I think the two of you should go roach this time. They have decent sight. } Jake said as we all demorphed from sharks.
{ All right. } I said. When I was fully human again I immediately started to morph the roach. I was very tired from the stress and the morphing but I continued to morph anyway. My skin became the hard exoskeleton of the roach. My innards melted away to become the more primitive organs of a roach. I was shrinking rapidly. The extra legs burst forth from my chest. I wanted to barf as I watched it all happening but there was no time for that now. I wanted to get in, get out, and go home. The panic that had taken control of me earlier was still there, lingering in the back of my mind.
{ Ax, are you ready? } I asked when I was fully roach.
{ Yes. I am ready. Let's go. }
With that we took off on our roach wings. Heading for the main section of the facility.
{ Remember you two, five minutes. } Jake said as the others began to morph their battle animals.
For a while after that I didn't pay much attention to where I was going. I just followed the roach that flew in front of me. The roach's vision wasn't the best but it was enough. It wasn't until Ax was practically screaming at me that I noticed we had landed.
{ Stella, can't you hear me?! We have reached the main computer. I have already demorphed. What is taking you so long?! }
{ I'm sorry. Did you say something? }
{ Stella, what's wrong with you?! I have been standing here for a full ten minutes shouting at you! Why couldn't you hear me?! Something is obviously wrong with you. You shouldn't have come with us! }
{ No, really. I'm fine. I'm just.........distracted. } I said as I demorphed.
{ Please, don't try and hide anything from me Stella. If you are distracted then you won't be able to defend yourself if the need arises. What's wrong? } He asked. There was urgency in his voice, but I also heard tenderness. He was afraid for my safety.
"It's all right Ax. It's just this bad feeling that I have. I can't shake this feeling that there's something I've overlooked. That something bad is gonna happen any minute now. But don't let it bother you. You have to rig this computer thing."
I stood guard while Ax hacked into the system. All the while I grew ever more suspicious. I heard the sounds of battle coming from the main entryway.
"ROOOAAAARRRR!!!"
TSEEEW!
TSEEEW!
"HROOOAAAARRRR!!!"
That would be Rachel and Jake in morph. Dracon fire.
"Hurry up, Ax! It doesn't sound like they're doing to well out there!" I said urgently.
{ Done. } he reported after several tedious moments. { The force fields will fail in exactly five minutes and millions of your gallons of water will crush this fortress.........again. }
"Well let's hurry and get out there. I don't think the diversion is working too well. I'm just surprised we haven't been found yet."
Ax and I went tearing out of the office that held the computers. As we headed for the door that led to the main entryway I tried to decide which of my morphs would be best for this situation. But just as we reached the door and I reached out to pull it open, I heard Jake's voice in my head.
{ STELLA! AX! Can either of you hear me!? Listen up, morph something small! Get out of here! IT'S A TRAP! }
But it was too late. The door was already open. As Ax and I spilled out into the entryway I saw that all of the other Animorphs were being held down by a pack of Hork-Bajir controllers. All of them lay still.
{ AAAAAAAH! } I heard Ax scream as a new pack of Hork-Bajir came out of no where and pinned him to the floor.
"AX! NO!" I screamed. Just as suddenly someone else appeared in the room. Someone that I had been praying not to see ever since we had entered the water. Visser Three, not in a morph, but in his Andalite body.
{ So you did come after all. I've been expecting you. Especially you, Stella. }
I was vulnerable in my true human form. I slowly began to back away from him, my eyes wide with fear. How had I known it? How had I known that Visser Three would be here waiting for us?
As I backed away he walked towards me.
{ What's the matter Stella? You started this little game. Now you don't want to finish it?}
He was now right up against me. His face was up against my face. But even as he glared back into my eyes I felt the Hork-Bajir hands on my arms, dragging me to the ground.
"No!" I cried out helplessly as the four Hork-Bajir shoved me to the floor and rolled me onto my stomach.
I struggled but it was me against four Hork-Bajir. I managed to turn my head one final time. A human controller came to join the gaggle of Hork- Bajir. He held a hypodermic needle and syringe in his hand. Normally I'm not one to be afraid of getting shots at the doctor's office, but this wasn't exactly the same thing. For one, this particular needle was huge! No lie. And I had a bad feeling about the liquid that the syringe contained. One of the Hork-Bajir pressed my face back down to the floor. Without a moment's hesitation the controller plunged the needle into the back of my neck and emptied the syringe into my system.
"AAAAAAAHH!!" I shrieked in pain. I felt myself go numb for a moment as the liquid entered my body.
The human backed away and the four Hork-Bajir rolled me onto my back. I lay there for a minute, staring up at the ceiling, unable to move. Suddenly Visser Three was standing over me, gloating.
"What did you do to me?" I demanded feebly.
{ The substance that was just introduced into your system is a virus. A quantum virus to be more precise. I'm not certain if you know how it works but you will be dead within one week. }
"A little blunt there." I whispered through the lingering pain of the injection. I realized that for once in his life Visser Three was speaking in private thought speech. None of the others knew what was happening.
{ What were you expecting? You humiliated me Stella. Now you must pay. You will die a slow, painful death. This virus will disintegrate your body. It was designed to attack and kill within one week. Seven days, that is all you have left. }
"Hmm, have you ever seen The Ring, Visser Three?" I asked as my senses came back to me.
{ What? Stop mocking me, you stupid girl! What would you say if I told you that there is a cure for this particular virus? A cure that can be found right here on Earth. Because it is hidden in a wreck about twenty miles off of your cost. The wreckage of the Andalite dome ship in fact. Unfortunately we Yeerks have not yet figured out how to develop an incurable quantum virus. }
"Why did you just tell me that? Now I can go and get it any old time."
{ I wouldn't recommend that, Stella. If you go after that antidote, or if you tell any of your little Andalite friends about it, I shall activate the virus that now lies dormant in their bodies. And it will cause death in a matter of hours. You would never reach the antidote in time. Would you risk all of their lives? Especially the life of a certain.........love of yours. }
I stared up at him in utter horror. He knew. He knew of my love for Ax. How? But he was right. I couldn't risk Ax's life. Not if it was to save my own.
"Why are you doing this? Why do you give me this hope and then snatch it away?"
{ To die only a short flight away from the one thing that could have saved you. It is the worse possible punishment that I could think of for you. The virus will only be a threat to the Andalites while you still live. After a week goes by the virus will dissipate. And don't think that you can escape the virus by becoming a nothlit. The virus will simply adapt to your new body. Now I would suggest that you get out of here. This place will be underwater in two minutes. } he sneered as he began to morph.
I climbed shakily to my feet.
{ Stella, come on! We've got to get out of here! We're all at the boat dock waiting for you! } I heard Ax's thought speech in my head.
I ran down the hallway, heading for the dock. When I finally reached it the others were already in the water in shark morph. I leapt into the pool and began to morph. One minute.
When I had finished morphing we hauled butt for the tunnel that led into the open ocean. As we broke free from the base I heard the mechanical sound of submarines being launched. They were all cloaked, of coarse. I paid no attention to the base as it collapsed in on itself. I shivered inside. Whether it was from the sudden cold of the ocean or from the horrible death beginning inside of me I did not know.
{ Wooooah man, we sure showed those Yeerks! Not so easy to trap us! } Rachel shouted gleefully.
{ But why did they let us go at the last minute? } Cassie wondered.
{ They were probably too worried about saving their own skins. But of coarse, since they let us escape they won't live very long. They'll have Visser Three to answer to for our escape. } Jake said as we swam away.
I wished that I could tell them that we hadn't escaped. I hadn't escaped. The damage had been done. I couldn't escape my fate. Not now.
{ But what was the deal with the needles? That was creepy. } Marco asked.
{ Most likely it was some sort of tranquilizer to keep us submissive in order for them to kill us. } Ax explained.
How wrong he was.
{ We should be getting back. Before Cassie's parents find Gwyn in the barn. } I said. Gwyn was the only surviving member of my family. My little cousin. She was only a year old and could not come on our missions. We had given her the morphing power but she was still too young to use it. For now we hid her in Cassie's barn whenever the need arose.
No one argued. A winter storm was coming up and the waves were getting rough. We needed to get out of the ocean.
When we finally reached the shallower waters just off the shore we began to demorph. When I was fully human again my feet just barely touched the sandy bottom. I looked over beside me and saw Ax beginning to morph to human. A thought suddenly struck me, a fear.
"Ax, do you know how to swim in a human body?!" I shouted over the screaming winds of the oncoming storm. We had never had to worry about him being able to swim because we were always able to swim closer to the shore and demorph.
"What do you mea-" he didn't get a chance to finish his question. At that very moment another wave came in and swept Ax, Cassie, and I back out to see.
For a minute or two I was underwater, completely disoriented. I tried to suck in air but came up with water. I thrashed wildly, trying to get my bearings. Finally I noticed the direction my trail of bubbles was going in. I fought madly in that direction and I finally broke through to the surface. I gulped lung-fulls of air.
"AX! CASSIE!" I screamed through the mouthfuls of ocean water that I kept swallowing.
"STELLA!"
I turned around and saw Cassie swimming towards me.
"Where's Ax?! Did you see what happened to him?!" I shouted frantically.
"He went down! I saw him go under!" she shouted back.
"NO!!"
Without wasting another word I sucked in air and dove beneath the waves. I forced my eyes open, almost welcoming the pain of the salt water. I darted here and there searching for Ax. Finally I saw a human body sinking down to the bottom.
My lungs were already burning for air but I didn't care. I swam down further. My ears popped painfully from the pressure. Too deep! I wouldn't reach him in time! He was too far from the surface. My lungs were screaming for oxygen. My limbs were becoming sluggish. No! I had to keep going!
Finally my hands brushed against his chest. I pulled his face up to mine. Relief coursed through my body when I saw that a trail of bubbles was still drifting from his mouth. But he didn't move at all. The wave must have knocked the wind out of him.
I wrapped my arms around him and began to swim for the surface. But I didn't seem to be gaining any ground. The harder I kicked the farther away we seemed to be. How could I possibly bring both of us to the surface?
The pressure was beginning to lessen. My lungs were on fire. Ax felt like he weighed a thousand pounds. I couldn't go much further. I kicked desperately. How much further?
Suddenly, miraculously, I broke the surface. I brought Ax up with me, bringing his face up to the air. I gasped gratefully as I coughed up seawater and drew in oxygen. I saw Cassie kicking erratically to stay afloat.
"You found him!"
"Cassie, can you swim to shore without help? I have to take him."
"I'm all right. I can help you."
"Okay, then let's go."
Cassie swam over to me and slung one of Ax's limp arms around her shoulder.
"Ax, please don't be dead." I whispered under my breath.
Cassie and I struggled, inch by inch, to reach the shore. When we had reached the spot where we had first been swept out Ax began to revive.
"Stella, what happened?"
"We got taken out by the waves. We should probably teach you a little swimming technique." I said, trying to relieve the weight of the moment.
"I should morph. We will get there faster." He said weakly.
"No, just take it easy. We can do it."
Cassie and I finally got to the point where we could stand up. We dragged Ax gently to his feet. Jake, Marco, Rachel, and Tobias all came running and flying towards us. Or, well, Tobias was flying as well as he could through the rain.
"What happened to you guys?" Jake asked us.
"The tide got us. Ax got dragged down and we had to go after him." Cassie answered calmly.
Jake stepped forward and put his arm around Cassie's shoulders.
"Come on. We have the clothes. They didn't get taken this time." Jake said as he led Cassie away.
The others slowly followed them. Ax and I stayed behind for a few minutes. I needed to switch to my alter identity, Kim. As I started to morph Ax spoke to me.
"You saved my life, Stella."
"I'm a good swimmer." I answered coolly, not wanting to make a big deal out of it.
"Could you teach me to swim in this human body?"
"Maybe.........when the weather gets better. It-it couldn't be that hard for you to learn." I stuttered. I was fully into the Kim morph now.
I started to walk away but Ax pulled me back. He wrapped his arms around me and drew my face up to his own. I forgot everything, even the driving rain on my back, as Ax pressed his lips against mine. He pulled me tightly into his embrace and we clung to each other for what seemed like hours. I kissed him back, just as warmly, just as passionately.
"Um.....hey guys....you wanna get a move on. You know, before somebody finds us here." I heard Rachel suggest nervously.
"Oh.....um.....yeah, sure." I said sadly as I pulled away from Ax.
"Thank you, Stella." He said as he walked off to join the others.
As I stood there watching him walk away I felt a chill pass through my body again. The virus.
One week, seven days. Would I even live to see Christmas morning?
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